Get People To TRY YOUR SHOW

Written by Scott Herrold. Posted in Uncategorized

There’s a difference between being local and having a community. A community is a group of people centered around a common interest.

This article from Scott Herrold can be a game changer in the way you use social media to build community & bring new listeners to your show!

Click here for the full article!

A recent Mark Kassof & Company research project showed that Christian radio has the most loyal listeners of ANY radio format. For Christian radio P1’s, 73% say “the station I listen to most is a lot better than other radio stations I listen to.” I believe a big part of that loyalty is the community behind our format. Christianity can be the most dynamic community on our planet, but we have no influence if we’re not a part of it.

We can elevate the impact of our shows when we can engage our listeners in community, but we need to realize that:

1. Building a community is always intentional, but controlling it isn’t completely possible.

Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer was a genius when it came to understanding culture.  He wrote about how those who only focus on “controlling community, actually kill it.”  We have to understand that we can’t officially control our community as an outsider. People don’t go on social media to be marketed to, they go on social media to be social. We have to live inside the community, in order to build relationships. In 2013, our job as radio personalities is not just to produce great audio, but to go into the digital world and engage people enough to become listeners. Our community involvement makes that possible! Let’s be dynamic personalities both on the radio and off the radio. The digital space is part of our show now! We have to engage in social media while we are on the air. It’s not just part of our show, but it’s part of our prep! (And it can drive both ratings & giving!)

2. Facilitating community is being an opinion leader within the community.

Christianity naturally IS a community and your show can be a function of that community. Help your listeners connect with God and with other Christians. You do that by building relationships and looking for new ways to engage & grow deeper with them.

Stop using Facebook to market your radio show! Look your listeners eye to eye. You are equals. Talk with them. Challenge them & invite them in! The purpose of social media is to have conversations.

People connect differently with brands than they do with actual people. Your radio station Facebook page is a brand. But as a personality you are a person! Use social media to build relationships. As you grow deeper with your relationships (aka listeners) you will help facilitate community.

Shift the foundation – most radio personalities use the on air part of their show to promote their social media pages. IE: “Connect with me at Facebook.com/ScottHerrold…” or “Check out my family pics on Instagram.com/Sherrold!” That’s fine, but you will find more interaction when you use your social media pages to grab potential listeners and bring them back to your radio show! Invite them in, engage them to actually listen to your show.

Bring them from Facebook back to your radio station! That’s the game changer. Brainstorm new ways to post engaging content while you are on the air. Ask your social media friends to give your show a try today! 

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Scott Herrold

Morning Show Personality/Program Director/Creative Ninja at SOS Radio in Vegas.

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